Jeremy Ledbetter Trio

Forged in a cauldron of raging, inspiring contemporary jazz, the Jeremy Ledbetter Trio pushes the boundaries of jazz and world music, providing an undiluted display of rampaging energy and captivating musicianship. Audiences must exercise caution. People who see this band are rarely the same again. If the Jeremy Ledbetter Trio were an inanimate object it would be a runaway train. Jeremy Ledbetter has been creating genre-bending original music since forming the Caribbean Latin jazz outfit CaneFire in 2004. Since then, he has worked closely with an international array of artists that includes David Rudder, Eliana Cuevas, the Larnell Lewis Band, Aquiles Baez, Alexis Baro, OKAN, Rinse the Algorithm, Patricia Cano, and more. The Jeremy Ledbetter Trio sees Jeremy joined by Grammy-winning drummer Larnell Lewis of Snarky Puppy and renowned electric bassist Rich Brown, who offer the perfect counterpart to Ledbetter’s iconoclastic energy at the piano. The Trio’sdebut album “Got a Light?”, released in 2018, has been described as “a controlled explosion of big ideas and compelling musical storytelling”.

“Stunning” – Toronto Music Report

“Best Jazz Albums of 2018” – Brad Barker, Jazz FM91

“A fresh-sounding trio, modern and accessible” – Jazz Weekly

Jeremy Ledbetter – Piano 

An  engaging  and  fiery  performer  whose  music  knows  no  boundaries,  Canadian  pianist  Jeremy  Ledbetter  has  made  a  career  from  travelling  the  far-flung  corners  of  the  globe  in  search  of  the  most  fascinating  and  unique  musical  ideas  out  there,  then  seamlessly  integrating them into his work as a pianist, composer, and producer.  Jeremy is the driving  force behind Caribbean Latin Jazz powerhouse CaneFire, and the longtime musical director  and  producer for  calypso  superstar  David  Rudder. Jeremy's  newest  project,  the  Jeremy  Ledbetter  Trio,  released  their  debut  album  "Got  a  Light?"  in  2018. The  Trio  features  Ledbetter's  unique  sound  at  the  piano  alongside  fellow  Canadian  jazz  heavyweights  Rich  Brown (Rinse the Algorithm) and Larnell Lewis (Snarky Puppy). 

At the piano, Ledbetter’s playing features unrelenting energy and a playful spirit.  Originally  trained as a classical pianist, Jeremy studied jazz performance in Toronto before embarking  on  over  a  decade  of  world  travel  that  saw  him  work  with  some  of  the  most  prominent  recording  artists  in  Trinidad (David  Rudder),  Cuba (Grupo  Diakara),  Brazil (Hermeto  Pascoal),  and  Venezuela (Aquiles  Baez).  Upon  his  return  to  Canada,  Jeremy  formed  the  Caribbean  jazz  ensemble  CaneFire  to  play  the  original  music  inspired  by  his  travels.  CaneFire  has  quickly  risen  to  international  recognition  on  the  strength  of  two  albums  –

“Kaiso  Blue”  (2005)  and  “Pandemonium”  (2010),  and  their  performances  at  jazz  festivals  the  world  over. A  prominent  figure  in  Canada’s  jazz  and  world  music  scenes,  Ledbetter  currently  works  with  an  international  array  of  artists  that  includes  David  Rudder,  Eliana  Cuevas,  the  Larnell  Lewis  Band,  Alexis  Baro,  Mark  Kelso’s  Jazz  Exiles,  OKAN,  Rinse  the  Algorithm, Marito Marques, and more. 

Larnell Lewis – Drums 

Larnell Lewis is a Grammy Award winning musician, composer, producer, and educator.  A  Toronto native, Larnell has quickly established himself as one of  the most diverse and in demand  drummers  currently  on  the  music  scene.  Along  with  his  long-standing  position  behind  the  drums in Snarky  Puppy,  Larnell  has led many  highly  successful groups  of  his  own  and  toured  the  globe  with  some  of  the  most  well  known  names  in  music,  including  Etienne  Charles,  Gregory  Porter,  Benny  Golson,  Lalah  Hathaway,  John  Scofield,  Pat  Metheny, Lisa Fisher, Kurt Elling, Gary Burton, and more. 

Larnell’s  immense  talent,  fierce  creativity,  and  continually  evolving  musical  style  is  what  has  kept  him  at  the  top  of  the  list  as  a  musical  collaborator  for  artists  across  the  globe.  Lewis  attended Humber  College,  where  he  was  the  2004  recipient  of  the  Oscar  Peterson  Award  for Outstanding  Achievement in Music,  the  highest  award  given  by  the institution. 

Lewis  was  featured  on  the  cover  of  the  September  2016  issue  of  Modern  Drummer  magazine, and in 2017 Lewis was named one of the Top 35 artists under 35 by CBC Music,  and also received the award for Emerging Jazz Artist from the Ontario Arts Foundation.  His  vast talents not just as a musician but as a producer also landed him the opportunity to act  as  Musical  Director  for  a  performance  during  the  Toronto  International  Film  Festival’s  premiere  of  the  critically-acclaimed  documentary  of Quincy  Jones, Quincy,  where  he  led  performances from the likes of Yebba Smith, Mark Ronson, and Chaka Khan. 

Rich Brown - Bass 

Rich Brown  has  been an active member  of Toronto's  culturally  diverse music  scene  since  1992. Influences such as Jaco Pastorius, Victor Bailey, Jimmy Haslip, and Alain Caron fuelled  his passion for bass at the age of 17.  He has now performed and recorded with some of the  finest  musicians  in  the  world  including  jazz  vocalist  Carol  Welsman, Glenn  Lewis,  Dapp  Theory,  Steve  Coleman,  James  'Blood'  Ulmer,  Vernon  Reid,  Andy  Narell,  Bruce  Cockburn,  Marc Jordan, Kim Mitchell, and David Clayton Thomas (of Blood, Sweat, & Tears) to name a  few.  

Rich’s own group, Rinse The Algorithm, was the recipient of the Galaxie Rising Star prize in  2010,  and  was  nominated  for  "Electric  Group  of  the  Year"  three  years  in  a  row  at  the  National Jazz Awards.  Rich has appeared on over 60 recordings ranging from jazz to funk to  Latin to traditional Asian and Arabic music.